Isaac a



I. A. SHERMAN;

dHAIN ook.

No. 874,710. Patented Dec. 13,1887.

WITNESSES WW IX/Ema BY 7 ATTOHNZ%SJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC A. SHERMAN, OF ONONDAGA, NEW YORK.

CHAIN-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,710, dated December13, 1887.

Application filed September 2'2, 1867. Serial No. 250,384. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISAAC A. SHERMAN, of Onondaga, in the county ofOnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Chain-Locks or Wagon- Brakes, of which the following,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa full, clear, andexact description.

Myinvention relates to improvements in chain-locks for use upon vehiclesand analogous devices as a brake, or in connection with a brake-shoe forthe purpose of locking the wheel in descending inclines, and the objectis to provide a simple and efficient device to accomplish the desiredresult, said device being so constructedas to be easily attached anddetached without slacking the chain-lock in order to effect its releasefrom its locked position; and to this end the invention consists,essentially, in a chain-lock wherein an elongated link provided with akeeper-ring is secured to a stopper-plate, the brake-chain beingconnected to the stopper-plate in line with the main chain, and the endof the brakechain provided with a link or ring which passes over oneportion of the stopper-plate, and a locking-lever pivoted to thestopperplate for locking the brake-chain thereto, as hereinafterdescribed.

It consists, also,in the detail construction of the parts, all ashereinafter more fully described, ahd pointed out in the claims.

In specifying my invention reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in which like lettersindicate corresponding partsin all the views.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved chain-lock, illustrating thegeneral construction and arrangement of the parts, the holding-leverbeing shown secured to the elongated link of the main chain by thekeeperring. Fig.2 is a like view with the holdinglever released from thekeeper-ring, showing the manner of disconnecting the brake-chain fromthe stopper block or plate. Fig. 3 is a detached detail of theholding-lever, illustrating the manner of connecting the same to thestopper-plate.

Heretofore in chain wagon-brakes and chainlooks it has been customary toemploy hooks provided with links connected to the main chain of thedevice,and keeper-rings for locking the hooks to the links; but all ofsuch devices were inefficientin use, for the reason that when strain wasapplied thereto the tendency ofthe strain was to tighten the hold of thekeeper-ring and thus prevent the detaching of the look when the vehiclereached the bottom of the descent, and in'order to detach the chain lockor brake it was frequently necessary to back the vehicle in order torelieve the lock from the strain and thus slack the parts to release thekeeper-ring. It will thus be observed that while a chain lock or brakeis Very desirable for use to block the wheel of a vehicle or the runnerof a sleigh in teaming, such device, unless it can be easily released,is very difficnlt to operate and is very severe upon the team, sinceitfrequentl y necessitates the hauling of the load some distance beforethe strain can be relieved to detach the lock. My invention is designedto overcome these difficulties, and I accomplish the desired result andprovide an efficient device for the purpose by the device "which I will,now describe.

A denotes the main chain of my chain-lock, which is provided with anelongated link, a, having a contracted portion, a, and a ring, 7),depending from the lower end thereof. Into the ring I), I connect theoamshaped stopper block or plate 13, which is constructed of anysuitable material having sufficient strength for the desired purpose.Opposite to the connection b, I provide the link d, which serves as aconnection for the brake-chain D. The object in thus connecting the twoparts of the chain opposite to each other is to bring the strain of thetwo parts in line with each other, and the cam-shaped stopper block orplate B serves to break the connection between the two portions of thedevice, and at the same time the camsurfaces 1 and 2 serve anotherpurpose which will be presently explained.

The chain D terminates in an enlarged link or ring, 6, which issufficiently large to slip over the cam-shaped sides 1 and 2 of thestopper block or plate B freely, and the holdinglever c is pivotedbetween the two cam-shaped edges 1 and 2 of the block B, and serves tolock the ring or link 6 to the block when the holding-lever is placed inthe position shown in Fig.1, and the keeper ring I). is slipped over thebill or point of the holding-lever c.

It will be observed that the ring or link 0 is thus detachably connectedto the cam-shaped stopper block or plate B, and that the same may bereadily detached therefrom by simply releasing the keeper-ring b fromthe holding lever c, which is accomplished by slipping the keeper-ringover the point of the lever.

In the devices heretofore constructed, which 1 have already described,there was no intermediate connection between the link a and thebrake-chain D; hence when the strain was applied to the hook orholding-lever it was impossible to release the keeper from theholding-lever until the strain was taken off in some manner. Myinvention overcomes this defect entirely, for the reason, as will beobserved, that the cam-stopper block or plate B is so connectedto thetwo parts of the chain A and D as to bring the strain in a direct line,and consequently the intermediate plate, B, takes the strain while thecam sides or edges 1 and 2 converge to a point opposite the pivotalconnection of the holdinglever c, and cause the ring or link 0 to ridedownward and exert its draft on the pivotal point of the lever c, whichacts as a fulcrum on the plate or block B, and therefore SllfliClBIll]leverage is attained on the point of the holding-lever c to force theend toward the elongated link a with great ease, and the keeper-ring isreadily detached therefrom without difficulty.

When the keeper-ring b is moved up on the elongated ring a, theholding-lever c is released and falls back, as shown in Fig. 2, and thelink or ring 0 slides off of the cam-edges l and 2 of the block Bfreely, thus releasing the chain-lock from its locked position.

In practice my invention is preferably secured to abrake-slioe'; but itwill be apparent that the device may be applied in the wellknown mannerdirectly to the wheel itself, and the wheel blocked thereby. The devicemay also be used on sleighs for the purposes of a brake, or it may beapplied in any position where a chain-lock is desired and the strain issufficient to render a device which may be readily attached and asreadily detached desirable.

I do not restrict myself to the specific construction of the device asillustrated in th s example of myinvention, which, however, is mypreferred form, since the cam block or plate may be of any suitableshape, and the links a b d 6 also differ in form.

The salient characteristic of the invention resides in interposing theblock or plate betweentlie two parts of the chain and providing aslipstopper lock for locking one part to the other, so that the same maybe easily detached without easing up the strain on the main part of thedevice.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a chain-lock, the combination, with a block or plate ofsubstantially triangular form, and the main and locking chains securedto opposite corners of said plate, of a large link or ring on the end ofthe last-named chain,and a locking-lever pivoted upon the lower side ofthe plate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination ofthe chain A,provided with the elongated link a,contracted at a, the keeper-ring b, stopper block or plate B, and chainD, having link or ring 0, and the holding-lever a, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth. L

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, in the presence oftwo attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in theState of New York, this 19th day of September, 1887.

ISAAC A. SHERMAN.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK H. GIBBS, O. W. H. BROWN.

